CS4984
Introduction to Computer Law
Fall 2003
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(If you are in this class, click
here.)
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If you are interested in legal concepts relating to the computing
world, this one-credit course may be of interest to you.
The only prerequisite is junior or senior standing. Student with
some sort of background in an information technology discipline or is interested
in studying law will most likely benefit from the course. The class is
tentatively scheduled to meet every other week, on Mondays, from 8:20 to
10:00 a.m. (Note: this course does not yet appear in the timetable.)
See the links below for more information:
If you are still unsure whether you want to take this class, ask
yourself the following questions:
- Ever wondered how to protect the software you develop?
- Are you the type that just "knows" there must
be a another way to protect software than through copyright laws, but you're
not sure what that way is?
- Do you spend hours in the lab debating with
your classmates the virtues of open-source code versus (eek) "The Microsoft
Way" (i.e., make money)?
- Do you have an interest in law or are you
considering law school?
- Do you wear a t-shirt that says "Computer
Science Major: Do not expose to direct sunlight"?
If you answered yes to any of the first four questions above,
then this is the class for you (if you answered yes to the fifth question,
well, that is an isssue for another class altogether...). Topics will vary
depending on student interest, but will generally cover intellectual property
(IP) rights as they pertain to computer software and the Internet, including
an introduction to computer crime (no, not participating in it). At the
same time you will get a general introduction to the study of law. The
class will focus on the IP issues, with the general introduction to the
study of law taking the back seat depending on specific student interest.
The class will be taught on a letter grade basis, and anyone who gets below
a B deserves to be shot (i.e., this is not brain surgury). Classes will
largely entail interactice discussions, not one-sided lectures. So if you
planned on showing up and sleeping for another hour, consider this fair warning
that you may find yourself duct-taped to your chair when you awake.